


A Mentor's Duty

by keita52



Series: Galactic Dating Service [5]
Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: F/M, Shameless Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-08
Updated: 2017-08-08
Packaged: 2018-12-12 14:54:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11739369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keita52/pseuds/keita52
Summary: Nihlus shows Shepard how grateful he is that she saved his life.





	A Mentor's Duty

**Author's Note:**

  * For [KestrelShrike](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KestrelShrike/gifts).



“ … she’s waking up now.”

Shepard ached something fierce. The light shining in her eyes was  _ far  _ too bright and made her want to just lie there with her eyes closed until … oh, the heat death of the universe would do. She recognized Chakwas’ voice and knew she was in the infirmary on the Normandy, which meant that they had successfully evaced from Eden Prime. So, really, there was no rush to get moving.

But the voice that answered Chakwas that made her sit up and open her eyes, despite the discomfort it caused. She narrowed her eyes at the tall, lean figure on the other side of the small room. “ _ You. _ ”

Nihlus Kryik frowned at her. Whether it was from her sitting up, or the tone she took with someone who was  _ supposedly _ her mentor, she wasn’t sure. 

“ ‘I move faster on my own.’ ” She quoted his earlier words back at him, her fury growing stronger with the minute. “How am I supposed to be taken seriously as a Spectre Candidate if you  _ aren’t _ actually there to watch and see how I do, huh?” She thought about standing up, but the weakness in her legs made her stay where she was. “It’s a damn good thing for you that we  _ did _ keep up. Otherwise, you’d be  _ dead _ .”

Nihlus winced. Shepard couldn’t really blame him for having trusted Saren Arterius, because at that point there hadn’t really been a good reason  _ not _ to trust him. At the moment, she was too furious with him to care. 

Chakwas coughed. “I hate to interrupt you, Shepard, but I do need to check a few more things out.”

Shepard nodded, keeping an eye on Nihlus while Chakwas did all the stereotypical doctor things like shining a light into Shepard’s eyes and feeling her limbs. “You  _ look _ fine,” Chakwas said skeptically. “No permanent damage from whatever the beacon did to you.”

“My fault.” Nihlus frowned at Shepard. “You shouldn’t have pushed me out of the way like that.”

“Wasn’t about to undo the work I did in saving your ass,” Shepard countered, raising a hand to her head. “Ow.”

Chakwas frowned. “I didn’t see any physical damage, but you did have some rather unusual brain activity while you were out. Including an increase in rapid eye movement.”

The images started leaking back into her mind. “I … was seeing something. A vision.” She cringed inwardly at saying it like that, but there really was no other way. “Death. Destruction.”

“I wish we had the beacon to study.” Chakwas’ frown deepened. “I’m ordering you to take it easy until we get to the Citadel. Nihlus has already briefed Captain Anderson on what happened.”

She shrugged off the momentary annoyance at having Nihlus brief Anderson. It  _ had _ saved her some time and hassle. She was really starting to get a feel for how outside normal channels the Spectres actually worked. “Guess I don’t have much of a choice, then.” She hopped off the bench, wincing as her legs protested the sudden weight. Nihlus was next to her in an instant, putting an arm around her waist. She glared up at him. “You could have  _ asked _ .”

“And have you turn me down only to fall flat on your face a moment later?” Nihlus shook his head. “You did save me back there, Shepard. Let me salvage my wounded pride a little.”

Shepard understood about wounded pride. She kept quiet until she realized where they were heading. “This is --”

“Anderson gave up his bunk for you. Said you deserved it, and I agree.” Nihlus helped her to lie down, supporting her weight until she could rest on the bed.

“How long was I out for?”

“Fifteen hours. Chakwas said most of it is some rather impressive bruising from the blast.” She couldn’t read the expression on his face as he leaned closer. “Do you feel tired?”

She considered that. “Not really. I don’t feel like running laps around the Normandy, but I don’t think I’ll actually be going back to sleep.” She tried to remember what entertainment she had loaded onto her omni-tool. 

“I owe you my life, Shepard.” Nihlus’ voice was softer than it had ever been, more intense. “I take that sort of debt very seriously.”

Shepard tried to ignore the flip her stomach did, hearing that intensity. Her cheeks flushed and she turned her head away from him. “I’m sure you’ll find some way to pay me back.”

Nihlus placed a hand on her chin and turned her head back to face him. Their eyes met. Shepard’s stomach did a few more somersaults.

Then he leaned in and kissed her, very gently. Shepard found herself returning that kiss, exploring his mouth with an eagerness that surprised her. Nihlus seemed to pick up on that and the kiss turned more heated. She became aware of where their bodies touched, how he was bent over her, putting the lightest pressure on her breasts. 

When he stopped for air, Shepard reached up and tugged at his collar. Her eyes opened enough to see his mandibles flaring as he swung one leg over her, then brought the other one up on the narrow bed. She looked up into his face and had a momentary flash of  _ what the hell am I doing? _

His head bent down, his lips meeting hers once more, and the discomfort passed. She gave herself over to the kiss, wrapping her arms around his back. His fingers trailed down her sides, stopping at her waist. He tugged gently at her pants, and she helped him get them off of her. He ran a hand along her thigh, and Shepard hissed and jerked back involuntarily. “Ow, ow, ow. Dammit. Not you. Nihlus, I --”

She felt his laughter before she heard it, a vibration throughout her body that made her shiver with the unexpected pleasure of it. “Allow me,” he said, his voice thick with desire, “to help with that.”

His hand found the spot that had made her react negatively, and he started massaging the knot. Shepard gasped in relief and more than a little pleasure. He was  _ good _ .

Nihlus worked his way up and down her legs, finding all of the bruises and taking away the worst of the ache with his careful fingers. He displayed a most welcome tendency to linger near her opening, combining practicality with indulgence. God, but it felt good to have him doing this, to have someone lavishing this much careful and tender attention on her.

She knew the moment that he switched to full indulgence. He slid his hand underneath her right leg as he leaned into kiss her again. The heat that had been building inside her flared brightly. It was her turn to caress his body and find his pants, her hand lingering on a certain bulge. Nihlus let out a growl in response and broke the kiss, taking a moment to rid himself of the inconvenient clothes. His freed erection bobbed in front of her, and she couldn’t resist taking a moment to stare, drinking in the details. She felt hungry for it, and acted on that hunger by closing her hand around his hard length.

Nihlus’ head tipped back and he let out another growl. He pushed himself into her hand, and Shepard continued to indulge her need to touch him for a few more minutes before she let go and spread her legs wider. He laughed, shifting his body downward and nudging gently at her entrance, taking care not to cause her too much discomfort as he slid inside.

Shepard gripped his back and pressed upward, meeting his need with her own. He was still gentle, though, his movements still slow and considerate. She decided she didn’t really mind. His head dropped slightly, his breath warm against her neck, and she gave a delighted shiver. 

“So soft,” he murmured. The words set her to shivering all over again. “So delightfully responsive.”

“So hard,” she countered, increasing the pressure she was putting on his erection. He moaned. “A girl likes to have something hard between her legs, hitting all of those sensitive spots…” She could get used to the way his sounds vibrated throughout her body. Eyes closed, she shifted her body, trying to find the angle that would push them both over the edge.

“Shepard,” he breathed, and then he was moving faster, almost frantic. All she could do was hang on, and that was pretty much what she wanted to do anyways. He was finding those spots that she’d just mentioned without really trying. Her breath came out ragged in between her moans.

Her fingers tightened on his back. “Nihlus. Nihlus!” 

They stopped moving in the same instant, no space between them as they rode out their respective climaxes. His fingers dug into her skin, perhaps making some more bruises that she’d make him erase. That was later. In that suspended moment, she didn’t care in the least.

When they had both relaxed, dropping back to the bed, Shepard leaned up to kiss his cheek. “I’m going to have to save your life again, if that’s the reward I get.” 

“I will find something less hazardous that will end with you getting a reward.” Nihlus ran one of his mandibles across her lips. “I should hate to actually die and deprive myself of such a magnificent partner.”

“Are we partners, then? Not mentor and student?”

Nihlus chuckled. “I stopped being your mentor when you read the situation better than I had. Clearly, I need a good partner to watch my back.”

Shepard grinned, feeling something like hope rising within her. “I’ll watch your back if you watch mine.”

“It’s a deal.” He kissed her again, and it felt like a sealed promise.


End file.
